A strong consumer demand exists for anti-bacterial products, and particularly for anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. Concerns about the development of drug-resistant bacteria, however, have led to increasingly stringent government regulation of synthetic chemicals that provide anti-bacterial activity.
As of September 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has prohibited the use of thirteen compounds that had been used for decades to create anti-bacterial surfactants. The most widely used of these compounds, triclosan, was the active anti-bacterial ingredient in 93% of consumer anti-bacterial soaps. Three additional anti-bacterial chemicals that have commonly been used in consumer products are currently under FDA review, and may also become prohibited for use within the next several years.
Accordingly, there exists an urgent need in the industry to develop products that provide antimicrobial activity in the absence of any anti-bacterial compounds that have been prohibited by the FDA or are currently under FDA review.